Ackerman's 1815 engraving of the old, city-centre Botanic Garden, established in 1762

Development of the Garden

The original Botanic Garden of Cambridge University was founded in 1762 in the centre of the City, now known as the New Museums Site. This small Garden was conceived as a typical Renaissance physic garden, inspired by the Chelsea Physic Garden in London. It grew herbaceous plants used in the teaching of medical students at the University.

We owe the existence of today's much larger Botanic Garden, occupying a 40 acre site between Hills Road and Trumpington Road, to John Stevens Henslow, the Professor of Botany at Cambridge from 1825 - 1861.

Henslow laid out the Garden to accommodate a wonderful tree collection. But he also planted his ideas about variation and the nature of species that would be taken up in a revolutionary fashion by his famous protege, Charles Darwin.

We hope today that we continue to plant ideas, maybe even seeds of change, as we work to reflect and communicate new directions in plant science, respond to the challenges of managing a historic landscape and deliver innovative programmes for everyone.